Change can be a tricky concept to navigate. Bad and good ideas alike have the ability to proliferate in an environment where every citizen has the potential to be a journalist, and every smartphone user an influencer. This is where platform matters. When a changemaker has the right platform, their story reaches the right partners, who can help amplify it. It reaches new changemakers who can draw inspiration from it, learn from it, build and improve on it. It can sow hope, among the people who need it most.
AU Small Finance Bank and Network18 came together last year in Badlaav Humse Hai, to create a platform that amplifies the stories and voices of changemakers we all should know about. These are changemakers whose silent work has lifted entire communities out of poverty; created access where only barriers existed; shown communities how to work with nature to create true sustainability; changed hearts and minds about othered communities; changed the lives of many through economic, social, or educational empowerment, and much, much more.
Badlaav Humse Hai Season 2 promises to build on that legacy and shine the light on some incredible changemakers and their inspiring stories. But in the first episode, we're looking a little closer to home - at AU Small Finance Bank itself, and the visionary behind it: Sanjay Agarwal.
For Founder, MD & CEO Sanjay Agarwal being a banker feels like a privilege. He sees banks as public platforms and as a force for bringing about greater inclusion for the unbanked, underserved, and unserved dreamers in rural and semi-rural India, to achieve their dreams. As a first-generation entrepreneur himself, Sanjay believes that everyone has the potential to be a successful entrepreneur, provided they have the drive. This inclusion is at the core of the Badlaav Humse Hai changemaker campaign, too.
The other two determinants of success, in his mind, are knowledge and money; and through AU Small Finance Bank, he can help with both of those. In a conversation with CNBC-TV18's Lata Venkatesh, Sanjay dives deep into the philosophy of service that drives AU Small Finance Bank, how it is affecting change where it is needed most, and how, through strong processes and financial acumen, it has created a sustainable platform that serves customers of all stripes, profitably. When asked for examples of people AU Small Finance Bank has been able to help, Sanjay had too many examples to choose from. The one he did speak about was that of a Taxi driver who, only 10 years ago, had bought his first taxi with a loan from AU Small Finance Bank, and today runs a fleet, employing several.
For Sanjay, this story exemplifies why semi-urban and rural markets are key for AU Small Finance Bank, and for India's economy: inclusion and prosperity here have intergenerational effects and enables true wealth-building. All of AU Small Finance Bank's branches and product range for these markets is clubbed under Swadesh banking, to give it the focus it needs.
Watching Sanjay, it is easy to see where the motivation behind Badlaav Humse Hai comes from. As a nation that is leaping ahead to economic superstardom, we also need to take the time to create prosperity for the masses. After all, with each step India takes towards becoming a true meritocracy, it sows the seeds of longevity as a world leader.
Fortunately, AU Small Finance Bank (and others it has inspired) are already on the job. As Sanjay said, "Viraasat se tay nahi honge tarraki ke mukaam, yeh to udaan tey karegi aasmaan kiska hai."
May it be so.
Moneycontrol Journalists were not involved in the creation of the article.